Catholic schools and parishes are celebrating the centenary of the 1918 Education Act.
The legislation saw Catholic schools transfer from diocesan control to state governance 100 years ago, securing the funding and position of the Catholic education system in Scotland.
Staff and pupils from St Joseph’s College, St Andrew’s and St Teresa’s RC Primary Schools began the celebrations on Tuesday by joining representatives of every school in the Diocese of Galloway in a mass of thanksgiving at St Margaret’s Cathedral, Ayr.
Bishop William Nolan blessed a specially commissioned icon of Jesus Our Teacher by artist Bernadette Reilly which will now be taken round the eight diocese of Scotland, starting in Galloway.
The icon was commissioned to mark the centenary by the Scottish Catholic Education Service and a number of lessons and prayer materials have been developed to aid schools in reflection, prayer and meditation.
Parishioners in Dumfriesshire will get the chance to see the icon on Friday, February 16, when it will go on display at St Teresa’s Church, Glasgow Street, Dumfries, for a mass at 1.30pm which is open to all.
It will be at St Joseph’s College in the morning for staff and pupils to view.
Pauline Slattery, Catholic Schools Network co-ordinator for Dumfries and Galloway Council, said: “This is a significant year for Catholic education in Scotland, as it marks the anniversary of important legislation passed 100 years ago.
“The celebrations will provide an opportunity to rejoice in the academic, cultural, civic and social achievements of pupils who have attended Catholic schools in the past 100 years and mark publicly the ways in which Catholic schools are not
just good for Catholics but good for Scotland.”
